1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian classic. In fact it's THE dystopian classic. Even if you've not actually read it you will have more than likely heard of Big Brother, The Thought Police and Room 101. 1984 was incredibly ahead of it's time, so much so that modern life shares many parallels with this book that was written in 1948.It's a book that everyone quotes but I think very few have read.
I'd heard a lot of glowing reviews for Karen McManus' work and downloaded the first one, One Of Us Is Lying eager to begin. Upon seeing the front cover and the tagline 'A Geek. A Jock. A Criminal. A Princess. Who Would You Believe?' I thought it sounded like a cheesy American teen novel so I left it for the best part of a year before picking it up again to read and I am so pleased that I got over the somewhat trashy front cover as this book is actually a very well written and cleverly thought out murder mystery. So good in fact that a television series is currently in production. So what made this teen fiction such a good read?
Reading has always been a passion of mine. Since a very young age I was reading independently and disappearing into worlds of fantasy and wonder. Books were an escape from my sometimes scary, often confusing reality. As I got older I began to read less, not because I didn't want to, it was more that as I got older, life got fuller and things such as 'self care' and reading for pleasure took a back seat. One positive of the Coronavirus pandemic is that it allowed me to prioritise myself a little bit more and perhaps I needed to escape reality again. I've spent the last six months reading a few chapters before going to sleep and it has been so beneficial. When I read I sleep better, feel more relaxed and have something to get excited about. Nothing beats going to bed on 'new book day'. The joy of perusing my virtual collection and choosing a new adventure is so exciting. My enthusiasm also leads me to talk more. Seems silly but I find talking about books to be therapeutic. If i'm struggling with my mood you can ask me what i'm reading and i'll instantly come alive. It's been a real pleasure rediscovering my love of reading and I wanted to share with you the books I've discovered throughout 2020.
